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24-Year-Old Man Dead After Wis. Plane Crash

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MERRILL, Wis. (WCCO/AP) — A 24-year-old man is dead after a small-plane crash in central Wisconsin.

Authorities say Matthew Zocher was piloting the single-engine plane affiliated with Minnesota State University in Mankato. He says the Federal Aviation Administration notified them at about 5 p.m. Thursday of a missing plane.

According to WSAW-TV, the crash likely happened sometime Wednesday. A reporter there said the man had told his parents he was going out with friends that evening, so they didn’t think anything of it when they didn’t hear from him.

Officials started a search and found it about four hours later in a heavily wooded area in the Town of Bern. The man was alone on board and was dead when rescuers found him.

Marathon County Sheriff’s Lt. Randy Albert says the man was on his way the Merrill airport. He says they believe the man lived in Minnesota and was flying to Merrill to visit family for the holiday.